Colored electrical terminals



June 23, 1959 J. FREY 2,892,175

COLORED ELECTRICAL TERMINALS Filed Aug. 16, 1954 INVENTOR. Edward J Frey muzw Attorney States Patent ee 2, 92 17 COLORED ELECTRICAL TERMINALS Edward J. Frey, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of D a a Application August 16, 1954, Serial No. 450,147

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-413 This invention is related in a general way to a domestic appliance but more particularly to electrical wiring systerms such as maybe used in electrically operated domestic appliances and other electrical apparatus.

In complicated electrical wiring systems it is customary to use conductors having insulation of different colors so that circuits can be readily traced. Terminals have often been designated by letters, numerals, abbreviations, etc., ordinarily upon an adjacent part or housing. While these systems are fairly satisfactory they are somewhat costly since either stamping or printing is required which substantially increases the cost, or more costly molding of letters or abbreviations in the part or parts is required. Sometimes different colors of paint have been applied to the parts adjacent the terminals. This is objectionable since it requires a separate operation for each color applied.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple, more economical color marking system adaptable to mass production making it possible to connect conductors to terminals merely by matching similar colors.

It is another object of my invention to provide an electrical device with, at least three different colored terminals which can be separately colored with different colors in large quantities or batches prior to assembly and the different colored terminals selectively assembled to the device for connecting to conductors having similarly colored insulation. I

It is another object of my invention to provide electrical terminals with a colored coating 'which does not appreciably reduce the transmission of electrical energy.

It is another object of my invention to provide a plurality of electrical terminals each differently colored with .a thin coating which is scraped or worn through merely by the customary relative sliding action in connecting the connector, clip or other fastening device to the terminal.

These and other objects are attained in the form shown by selecting and fastening in the proper places the metal spade type terminals with thin soft coatings of different color oil soluble dyes having comparatively low adhesion or poor bond with the surface of the terminals and being so thin that there is little electrical resistance. Spring type connectors connect to conductors each having a different color of electrical insulation corresponding to the different colored coatings of the terminals. These connectors slip over the respective terminals having a color coating corresponding to the color of the insulation of the specific conductor to which it is to be connected. When the spring type connector is slipped over the terminal, it scrapes off the sufficient paint to assure good electrical conduction between the spring connector and the spade type terminal.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Patented June 23, 1959 Figure 1 is a view showing a double throw switch with red, yellow and blue terminals; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view through the center portion of the double throw switch shown in Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1 there are shown the solenoid actuators 20 and 22 which be used to operate substantially any sort of electrical device. The solenoids 22 and 20 are connected to a common supply conductor 24. The other supply conductor 26 is connected to a clock type timer 28 which includes a motor winding 30 connected to both supply conductors 24 and 26. The timer 28 also includes a switch 34 adapted to connect at a predetermined time with a conductor 36. The conductor 36 connects to a spade type metal connecting terminal 37. This terminal 37 slips into a spring type connector 39 having inwardly curled edges. A conductor 38 having yellow colored insulation connects to a second spring type connector 40 having inwardly curled edges. The spring connector 40 isadapted to slip over and tightly fit another spade type connector or terminal 42 which is L-shaped. These connectors 37, 39, it) and 42 are selected from a quantity of terminals which have been all coated with an oil soluble yellow dye. This spade type connector 42 is a part of a double throw toggle switch 44. This toggle switch 44 includes a metal upper casing 46 provided with a socket 48 for a ball joint 50 on the hollow manipulator 52. The hollow manipulator 52 includes a recess receiving a pin 54 of electrical insulating material. This pin 54 is spring pressed by the spring 56 into engagement with a tilting contact member 58. This tilting contact member 58 is pivoted upon the pin 60 to a U-shaped member 62 fastened in place and connected to the base portion of the terminal 42 by a suitable rivet 64. The members 62 and 64 are located upon opposite sides of a base 66 of electrical insulating material which is connected to the casing 46.

The base 66 has riveted to it at opposite end portions two spade type terminals 63 and 70. These two terminals or connectors 68 and 70 are selected from two different batches of terminals which have been coated with different colored oil soluble dyes. The rivets extend through the base 66 and their heads on the inside of the enclosure are adapted to be contacted alternately by the opposite ends of the member 58. The opposite ends of the member 58 are each provided with a turned up lip 72 adapted to limit the outward movement of the pin 54 and to cause the pin 54 to hold the member 72 in engagement with the adjacent rivet fastened to the terminals or connectors 68 and 70.

Only a small portion of the wiring circuit of a domestic appliance such as an automatic washer as shown in Figure l is necessary to teach the invention. According to my invention, to facilitate assembly and to avoid confusion, the conductors of the circuit are coated with insulation of different colors while the connecting terminals are dyed a corresponding color. For example the solenoid or electrical conversion device 20 is connected by a conductor 74 to the supply conductor and by a conductor 76 to a removable spade connector 7? fitting within a spring connector 81 connected to the conductor which is provided with electrical insulation preferably colored blue. The conductor 80 is connected to a spring type terminal 78 which is adapted to connect with the L-shaped spade type metal terminal 70. The terminals 7 0, 78, 81 and 77 are preferably coated with a thin colored coating having low dielectric properties which is soft and readily scraped off according to my invention. This coating is in the form of an oil soluble blue dye such as Victoria blue B. This type of oil soluble dye has relatively poor adherence to the metal and is readily soft so that when the spring connectors 78 and 81 are slipped on their front edges and other parts will scrape off from the spade terminals 70 and 77 a sufficient amount of the dye or colored film to provide excellent metallic and electrical conduction from the terminal 70 through the spring connectors 78 and 81 to the spade connector 77. The coating is also so thin that it provides little electrical resistance. The terminal 70 is L-shaped and is held by a small rivet 82 which extends through the base of the terminal 70 and the base 66 to form a stationary contact adapted to be engaged by the tilting contact member 5 8.

The other end of the tilting contact 58 is adapted to engage the outer end of a rivet 84 extending through the bases of the members 68 and 66. The member 68 is an L-shaped spade type terminal which may be coated with a thin oil soluble red dye such as rhodarnine B. Applied to this spade type terminal 68 is a spring connector 86 having inwardly curled spring edges and the spaced transverse slots 88. The spring connectors 39, 40, 77, 78 and 93 are similarly constructed. When applied to the terminal 68, these inwardly curled edges as well as the front edge and the edges of the transverse slots 88 are adapted to wear and scrape off a suflicient amount of the dye upon the terminal 68 to reach the bare metal and provide metal to metal contact between the clip 86 and the terminal 68 to assure good electrical contact. The spring connector 86 is connected to the conductor 92 which is provided with electrical insulation colored red to match the red dyed terminal 68. The conductor 92 connects through a similarly colored spring connector 93 and spade connector or terminal 94 and a conductor 90 to the solenoid or electrical energy converting device 22.

The terminals and connectors are divided into as many loads or batches as is required for each different colored terminal needed. Each batch is then separately placed in a basket and separately dipped into a diiferent oil soluble dye of the particular color desired. These oil soluble dyes preferably consist only of an oil or petroleum solvent and a dye. Some suitable solvents are aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons, naphtha, toluene or Xylene. Dye is dissolved in the solvents in an amount of about 2% to 3%. No resin or any sort of a binder such as is found in paints or varnishes or lacquers is employed. For a red dye We prefer rhodamine B, for a yellow dye an oil yellow or amino A 20 Benzol. For a blue dye We prefer Victoria blue B. Oil soluble dyes of other colors in similar amounts may also be used. These dyes in the thickness used all have low dielectric properties and are easily penetrated and scraped off.

In assembling the switch or other electrical device the spade type terminals 42, 68 and 70 are selected from differently colored batches and separately applied in the proper place to the control switch 44. This makes it possible to make the terminals 42, 68 and 70 identical connecting terminals or both may be similarly colored with identifying colors.

While I have shown my invention as applied to a simple double throw switch it should be understood that this is just a small part of a larger circuit in which the principle may be extended and applied to many other electrical systems and devices of many other types.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claim which follows.

What is claimed is as follows:

A connector element having a plurality of metal ter-. minals each bearing a different identifying color, mating conductors, each of said conductors being provided with a complementary terminal connected to one of said metal terminals, said conductor terminals each bearing the same identifying color as the metal terminal to which it is connected, said identifying colors being provided on said terminals in the form of thin, soft, low adhesion coatings of different colors capable of being readily pene-f trated and having low dielectric properties, said complementary terminals including sharp edged spring clip means arranged to scrape away said coatings at the point of engagement. I

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,189,622 Barnsteiner et a1. Feb. 6, 1940 2,232,846 Freydberg Feb. 25, 1941 2,506,866 Gehrke May 9, 1950 2,546,854 Foster et a1 Mar. 27, 1951 2,579,739 Hayes Dec. 25, 1951 2,744,244 Schumacher et al May 1, 1956 2,748,452 Pierce June 5, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 681,702 Germany Sept. 29, 1939 OTHER REFERENCES Tele-Tech, December 1953, p. 123. 

